Following their World Cup success on home soil, New Zealand can complete a clean-sweep in the inaugural Rugby Championship, the expanded Tri-Nations, when they face South Africa in Pretoria on Saturday.

"Everyone is excited about the match," added Ford, who led the Scots to summer wins in Australia, Fiji and Samoa.

"We want to perform well and do Scotland proud. We've been working on our consistency and repeating our good work.

"We've just got to make sure that happens against the All Blacks because it will take that to beat them."

Sean Lamont joined Ford and Dave Denton to model Scotland's new away kit and the experienced winger has been heartened by the early season form of Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh.

"Both teams have started quite well and long may it continue," said the Glasgow back.

"Glasgow finished top four last year and that's our aim again - and to take it further.

"Edinburgh will look to replicate their Heineken Cup success and improve on their league standing.

"It's good for Scottish rugby, we need the level improving to attract bigger crowds and that way the game keeps moving forward."

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McCaw doesnt take his sabatical until the end of the NH tour. And even if he doesnt play I hope the NH teams dont see that as weakness. His understudy is a young chap called Sam Cane who helped destroy the Irish 60-0 by scoring twice in his first cap

@127: Yes there is most certainly a gap between Wal/Eng & Scotland, can you see Sco winning a minimum of 4 games or doing a grand slam, Going to places like Twickenham/Aviva in the process and winning? Maybe in the future who knows, but right now, certainly not, they've played well but not well enough. Who knows maybe they wont be the "whipping boys" but myself i see them 1 from 5

@dantheman,.. surly you can't say there is a gap between England or Wales to Scotland after watching the games from the last 6N,.. they were tragically unlucky and the results since have proved it. When they start putting those points away we can all watch oput,.. they are not going to be whipping boys in the next 6N. They are a far better team than thir 6N results suggest.

Im not saying Scotland didnt deserve to beat Eng, because they did. Im stating that in general we have that top 4 and then Sco & Ita.Scot have closed the gap like i said, in my opinion though it just means they will give teams a better/closer game. You cant deny the "top 4" are better than Sco surely? Hense my prediction. How do you see Scotlands 6N panning out then ?

@121: Sorry chap, think your a tad too optimistic there, Scotland have improved ALOT, no doubt about that. The gap between the top 4 (Wal, eng, fra, ire) and Sco & Ita was rather large, Scotland have simply closed the gap a bit. I Guarantee you Scotland will finish 1 from bottom in the 6N, with just a win against Italy

I don’t think anybody is saying it’s likely, or that it will happen. But Ross Ford is right to say that they will go into that game believing that they can win. He’d not be worth a place in the team otherwise.

No team in the NH can be hopeful of beating this All Black team but Scotland have as good a chance as anybody. True, they had an abortive 6Nations in which they contrived to lose games that they should, or at least COULD, have won (against Wales, England and France). But no other nation has exactly covered themselves in glory since then.

Edinburgh had a great run in the HC, Glasgow made the Semis of the Rabid and, whatever anybody says, beating any Australia team away from home and following up with wins against Fiji and Samoa in front of massively expectant and partisan crowds is no mean feat.

Any 6Ns team who thinks they are far above Scotland are due to get an unexpected thistle up the backside come February.

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